Neil Strauss, rock journalist for Rolling Stone and The New York Times, will be in DC this Thursday, March 12th, at Borders 1801K St NW from 6:30 to 8pm to sign and present his forthcoming book "Emergency", about surviving social meltdowns. TVD readers are invited to meet the author, see the book, and join the conversation.
Neil is the co-author of New York Times bestsellers "The Dirt", with Mötley Crüe, "The Long Hard Road Out of Hell", with Marilyn Manson, and LA Times bestseller "Don't Try This At Home" with Dave Navarro. He has written cover stories for RS on Kurt Cobain, the Wu-Tang Clan, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, and other musicians.
Emergency traces Neil's observations of ordinary and out of the ordinary Americans prepared to stay alive & afloat by all means in the face of impending social, political & economic collapse. Part of the book takes place in DC and deals with recent media events.
Once more, straight from the source: "ORPHEUS RECORDS WILL BE OPEN ALL FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS IN MARCH EXCEPT FRIDAY THE 27th...Noon til 9pm...March 6 & 7...13 & 14...20 & 21...and Saturday the 28th...Stay tuned........Orpheus Records as we've known it is gone, over, kaput. If you shopped here in the 70's, 80's, 90's or up through 2007 you knew a store that had more records than any sane retailer would stock. Then, our lease ended. Our landlord informed us that our lease would not be renewed and that we had until April 1, 2008 to vacate the premises. SO, January 1, 2008 we commenced our "Going Out of Business" sale. The first week was modest, probably because the only notice was a small sign on our door. THEN, we put up a huge banner. A banner so large that people saw it a block a way. A banner so large that the county inspectors saw it. It turns out you need a permit for said banner, who knew? We paid our bux, but it was WELL worth it because the response was immediate and overwhelming. People I hadn't seen in the store in years came in to tell me how much they would miss the place. While here, most would buy a stack of lps. I'll never know how many were buying because they wanted the albums and how many were simply nostalgic, but it didn't really matter. What mattered was that the lps were disappearing much more quickly than I ever imagined. The only thing more amazing than how many records we were selling was how many more we still had. Then as luck would have it , the Washington Post ran a story about the closing of the store. A big piece, with a Bigger picture. Again the response was immediate and, you guessed it, overwhelming. I spent the better part of this past year overwhelmed. As April approached, I enquired of the landlord whether the new tenant was ready, and let him know I was interested in staying, for as long as possible. As many of you know that was LAST April. Now, as a new April approaches, I'm still asking the same question every month. And SO FAR every month the same answer comes back. "You can stay another month". If I try to push for more, I'm gently reminded that I have no lease and am free to go. Most of you reading this, are, probably, the same people, that are still coming in the store, and have lived the entire experience with me. So here we are. We will be here to enjoy out tenth anniversary in Clarendon. An anniversary that I have joked about, but never really expected to see. I told the landlord I didn't want to be one of those retailers who got tossed out, only to drive by the space a year or more later and see it sitting empty. To his credit, and my perseverance, we're still here. Merely a shadow of our former selves, but, still here. The liquidation sale was a resounding success. I was interviewed by City Papers' Jason Cherkis the other day, and we agreed, "going out of business" is a great business plan. I just want to reassure every one, this wasn't a contrived plan. It's just the way it happened...and I've got the letters from the landlord to prove it. I'm now paying my rent to the new tenants, that, similarly to the buildings owner, are allowing me to stay ONE MONTH AT A TIME. Astonishingly, I still have enough merchandise to remain in business, albeit in a truncated fashion. so, for now, I'll open the store a couple of days a week and persevere until it just doesn't make any sense to do it...anymore. Thank you for your support, thank you for your patience and most importantly, thank you for getting all those damn records out of here!!!(Read the rest here.)
"One of the few good things about modern times: If you die horribly on television, you will not have died in vain. You will have entertained us."—Kurt VonnegutSince I couldn’t think of anything new to say, I tried to write this show review on the Red Line as I headed to meet Vivian, and missed the damn stop. (Unrelated note: Now I have the flu.) Later in the park, Vivian and I discussed the previous night's events. This is a rough translation as my handwriting has devolved into something like chicken scratch, but much more ghetto. It was also written in Sharpie on both sides of the paper. I apologize in advance for its lack of clarity and rudeness.
TVD.
You’re an idiot if you didn’t go to this show. I’m an idiot and I went. So what does that make us?
Worst opening line ever. No more joke attempts. (Vivian nods and decides not to smoke her last cigarette until after dinner.) Gentlemen Jesse played an amazing powerpop punk energetic set…. (Insert better description later) to a mixed crowd of comatose hipsters, old men, college girls in leggings, kids, and punks heavy on the Vice-style.
“They were pretty good,” Vivian says, as she nonchalantly scans the area for threats. “But it was weird. The people watching them up front had no enthusiasm. It’s not an open casket.”
Maybe you are familiar with viceland.com’s DO’s and DON’Ts section. (Describing anything that comes with a link is a waste of space.) I decided to do my own version of this, but without pictures. Because the Black Lips completely killed it. They were very exciting for me and many others.
DO… Dance your ass off, sing along, jump around, give a band you enjoy some respect. They are working for you. At least have the decency to clap.
DON’T… Start a moshpit only to abruptly abandon it when the going gets rough.
DO… Help the guy up who gave you a nosebleed with his elbow two minutes prior. It’s nothing personal.
DON’T… Crowd surf at the Black Cat. You have been warned.
DON’T… Let others pick you up and force you into a head-walking situation, only to be dropped pretty hard on your ass. It wasn’t worth the pain. Learn to say No! You’re too old for this shit.
DO… Act humbly and with respect as security escorts you out. Own up to your bad behavior. Apologize. You are the asshole in this situation.
DON’T… Walk out on your tab, even if you are being escorted from the property. A willingness to endure public, pathetic humiliation may earn you that second chance.
DO… Continue to party in the Red Room after the show. Watch out for Commies.
DON’T… Punch the really nice guy in the face for letting your friends stay and party at his house, for no reason. Especially in the face. Not even cool. See above DO regarding security escorts, revise to personal situation. You should have probably left anyway, even if he let you stay.
DO… Make out with a crazy Russian just to break the language barrier. You can search his wallet for the card later.
DON’T… Forget what you did last night. There is a reason to exist, and remembering that is important. (There are some more personal notes here that may not be suitable for our readers.)
Vivian agrees.Ramones - Teenage Lobotomy (Mp3)Ramones - Commando (Mp3)Ramones - Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment (Mp3)Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated (Mp3)Ramones - I Wanna Be Well (Mp3)
Neil Strauss, rock journalist for Rolling Stone and The New York Times, will be in DC this Thursday, March 12th, at Borders 1801K St NW from 6:30 to 8pm to sign and present his forthcoming book "Emergency", about surviving social meltdowns. TVD readers are invited to meet the author, see the book, and join the conversation.
